AUTHOR=Ye Hong , Qiao Linyi , Guo Haoyu , Guo Liping , Ren Fei , Bai Jianfang , Wang Yukun 

TITLE=Genome-Wide Identification of Wheat WRKY Gene Family Reveals That TaWRKY75-A Is Referred to Drought and Salt Resistances

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Plant Science

VOLUME=12

YEAR=2021

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/plant-science/articles/10.3389/fpls.2021.663118

DOI=10.3389/fpls.2021.663118

ISSN=1664-462X

ABSTRACT=<p>It is well known that WRKY transcription factors play essential roles in plants’ response to diverse stress responses, especially to drought and salt stresses. However, a full comprehensive analysis of this family in wheat is still missing. Here we used <italic>in silico</italic> analysis and identified 124 <italic>WRKY</italic> genes, including 294 homeologous copies from a high-quality reference genome of wheat (<italic>Triticum aestivum</italic>). We also found that the <italic>TaWRKY</italic> gene family did not undergo gene duplication rather than gene loss during the evolutionary process. The <italic>TaWRKY</italic> family members displayed different expression profiles under several abiotic stresses, indicating their unique functions in the mediation of particular responses. Furthermore, <italic>TaWRKY75-A</italic> was highly induced after polyethylene glycol and salt treatments. The ectopic expression of <italic>TaWRKY75-A</italic> in <italic>Arabidopsis</italic> enhanced drought and salt tolerance. A comparative transcriptome analysis demonstrated that <italic>TaWRKY75-A</italic> integrated jasmonic acid biosynthetic pathway and other potential metabolic pathways to increase drought and salt resistances in transgenic <italic>Arabidopsis</italic>. Our study provides valuable insights into the <italic>WRKY</italic> family in wheat and will generate a useful genetic resource for improving wheat breeding.</p>